David Martin and Melissa Sweet: Hanukkah Lights

This sturdy board book mentions many of the components of Hanukkah and serves as a good intro to the holiday for totz. It's 5.25 x 5.25 inches square, 26 pages, self-cover--just the right size for small hands to join in the celebration or learn about a new holiday!

Hanukkah candles,
shinging bright.
One more candle
every night.

As I mentioned last month, I'm a huge fan of Melissa Sweet's work!

Hanukkah Lights
David Martin, author
Melissa Sweet, illustrator
Candlewick Press, 2009

November Pick for the Older Sib: The Princess's Blankets

I chose The Princess's Blankets as my pick for the older sibling this month because of it's traditional fantasy storytelling paired with fine art. The combination is stunning!

In a time when the publishing industry is focused on zombies, knock offs, and the naughty child, author Carol Ann Duffy's picture book shines with freshness. Imagine a princess who is always cold, concerned parents, a stranger with hard cold eyes, and a musician with a warm heart. Then ponder what truly warms the soul. Is it receiving the world in your lap, despite what it might rob from others, or could it be a song played in love, and a warm kiss on a fingertip?

Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick, has illustrated Duffy's text with fine art paintings. These are Catherine Hyde's interpretations of the story and each work is valued and noted separately in the introduction. Hyde works on acrylic on canvas with gold, copper, and silver leaf. The end flap quotes her as saying:

"I read and reread the story many times until I saw it in terms of atmosphere and color. I wanted the mood to change like the seasons as the story progressed, so the paintings run from hot and bright to moody and harsh and finally to warm and sensual."



This beautiful work ought to garner awards left and right. Add it to your collection and enrich storytime with the older siblings of your totz!

The Princess's Blankets
by Carol Ann Duffy
paintings by Catherine Hyde
Templar Books, 2009

~Lorie Ann Grover

Wednesdays Win Winner!

Many thanks to all of you who visited readertotz this month! Congratulations to Julie, the winner of the three books posted in November's Wednesdays Win blogs. Julie (aunteegem), please email joanholubauthor4 (at) aol (dot) com with your snailmail address.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

~ Joan Holub and Lorie Ann Grover

Photototz: Joan Holub

This so looks like Joan. The very same smile! Reserved but confident. That's my friend, author of over 100 children's books!

Authors and illustrators, send us your pics as totz with your latest book cover. We'll be happy to load them! Parents and grandparents, share photos of your readertotz reading. Send submissions to readertotzatclearwiredotnet

Children's Books as iPhone Apps: The next new thing?

When board books are no longer made of board, will we cease to call them board books?

I just read an interview with author-illustrator Elizabeth O. Dulemba at Greg Pincus's blog, The Happy Accident. She has created an iPhone app of her children's book, Lula's Brew.

Since I had just heard from another author-illustrator, my very talented friend Maryann Cocca-Leffler, with the news that she had created an iPhone app for her book, What A Pest!, I was extra-intrigued. Is the idea of children's books as iPhone apps gathering momentum? The catalog page at the site offering Maryann's book app is PicPocketBooks.

Some scoop from Maryann Cocca-Leffler:

I’m very excited that my book WHAT A PEST! will be reaching and teaching the Iphone generation! Picpocketbooks.com has licensed my book, which I wrote and illustrated. WHAT A PEST! can now be downloaded to an Iphone or Itouch for $2.99. Who would have thought when I entered the children’s book industry over 25 years ago that my books would make their way into the pocket of readers? Sharing books on the Iphone is another way to expose children to books and as an author-illustrator that has always been my goal. Picpocketbooks.com has also added a wonderful audio of the story as well as a word highlighting feature so the child can easily follow along.

WHAT A PEST! is an early reader about two sisters. The older one thinks the younger one is a pest but in the end they realize how important they are to each other. The story itself is loosely based on personal experiences on many levels. I have a younger sister…and I also have two daughters. Growing up, my sister, Diane was a pest! (Now she is my best friend). She was always hanging around with me and my friends and getting in the way. We also sang together and one time she got the chicken pox before a performance. By blending many ideas and watching my own daughters struggle with sisterhood, I came up with the story WHAT A PEST! I hope you enjoy it!

Maryann's newest picture book is Princess K.I.M. and the Lie that Grew. I love it!

Thanks, Maryann! ~ Joan Holub

Totz Fanfare: Bedtime Kiss For Little Fish makes the Parents Magazine Top 20 List!

Congratulations to Lorie Ann Grover and Debra Ziss! The totz are cheering them because their board book, Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish, just made the Parents 20 Best Children's Books, 2009 list. Publishers Weekly called this book "Utterly serene from start to finish." Woo hoo!

~ Joan Holub

Little Willow and Joan Holub do WBBT today!

After going to KidLitCon last month in D.C. and meeting so many dedicated children's book bloggers, it has been fun to visit some of their blogs all week in the Winter Blog Blast Tour 2009 (WBBT).

According to Little Willow: For the past two years, Colleen from Chasing Ray has organized series upon series of author interviews. These blog tours, hosted and posted at various blogs, have been dubbed the Summer Blog Blast Tour (SBBT for short) and Winter Blog Blast Tour (aka WBBT). Each event is one week long and involves a multitude of authors, bloggers, and readers.

Little Willow was kind enough to include me in WBBT at her blog at http://slayground.livejournal.com today. Drop by if you're in the neighborhood.

Here's the rest of the impressive lineup for Friday, November 20th:

Friday, November 20th
Lisa Schroeder at Writing & Ruminating
Alan DeNiro at Shaken & Stirred
Joan Holub at Bildungsroman (aka Little Willow's fabulous Slayground blog)
Pam Bachorz at Mother Reader
Sheba Karim at Finding Wonderland
Robin LaFevers at HipWriterMama

Wednesdays Win: Babysitter

Happy Wednesday!
Drop a comment for a chance to win Nursery, illustrated by Jess Stockham (Child's Play). Stop in each week--we'll post a new contest every Wednesday. One lucky winner will win the 3 books posted on Wednesdays Win throughout November. We'll announce the winner for the month on November 25th. Don’t forget to check back to see if you've won.

Good luck!

(Due to mailing costs, USA only. Winners must contact us within two weeks after they are announced on readertotz as the winner. Not responsible if books are lost in transit by the USPS--we can't replace them. Thanks!)

~ Lorie Ann Grover and Joan Holub

2009 Winter Blog Blast Tour Schedule begins Monday!

The 2009 WBBT (Winter Blog Blast Tour) begins Monday! For the past two years Colleen Mondor of Chasing Ray has organized week-long blogs in summer (SBBT) and winter (WBBT), which bring some amazing authors and bloggers together. Check out the Master Schedule below for blog appearances Monday through Friday of this week. Colleen will update the master schedule daily with links and author quotes.

Monday, November 16th
Jim Ottaviani at Chasing Ray
Courtney Sheinmel at Bildungsroman
Derek Landy at Finding Wonderland
Mary E. Pearson at Miss Erin
Megan Whalen Turner at HipWriterMama
Frances Hardinge at Fuse Number 8

Tuesday, November 17th
Ann Marie Fleming at Chasing Ray
Laurie Faria Stolarz at Bildungsroman
Patrick Carman at Miss Erin
Jacqueline Kelly at HipWriterMama
Dan Santat at Fuse Number 8
Nova Ren Suma at Shelf Elf

Wednesday, November 18th
Sy Montgomery Pt 1 at Chasing Ray
Jacqui Robbins at Bildungsroman
Sarwat Chadda at Finding Wonderland
Cynthia Leitich Smith at HipWriterMama
Beth Kephart at Shelf Elf

Thursday, November 19th
Sy Montgomery Pt 2 at Chasing Ray
Laini Taylor at Shelf Elf
Jim DiBartolo at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Amanda Marrone at Writing & Ruminating
Thomas Randall at Bildungsroman
Michael Hague at Fuse Number 8

Friday, November 20th
Lisa Schroeder at Writing & Ruminating
Alan DeNiro at Shaken & Stirred
Joan Holub at Bildungsroman
Pam Bachorz at Mother Reader
Sheba Karim at Finding Wonderland
Robin LaFevers at HipWriterMama

~ Joan Holub and Lorie Ann Grover

Poetry Friday: Pippins

Enjoy those Washington apples with your totz!

Pippins

Up in the orchard there is a green tree,
With the finest of pippins you ever did see;
The apples are ripe and ready to fall,
And Richard and Robin shall gather them all.

Watch Big A Little A in case there's a roundup!

Wednesdays Win: Sleepover

Happy Wednesday!
Drop a comment for a chance to win Sleepover, illustrated by Jess Stockham (Child's Play). Stop in each week--we'll post a new contest every Wednesday. One lucky winner will win the 3 books posted on Wednesdays Win throughout November. We'll announce the winner for the month on November 25th. Don’t forget to check back to see if you've won.

Good luck!

(Due to mailing costs, USA only. Winners must contact us within two weeks after they are announced on readertotz as the winner. Not responsible if books are lost in transit by the USPS--we can't replace them. Thanks!)

~ Lorie Ann Grover and Joan Holub

Jess Stockham: Nursery

The four books in the image above are part of the First Time series, which chronicles "firsts" in the life of totz. The illustrations are childlike and very cute! The story moves along at a quick pace, almost as if we're listening in on conversations between totz, or overhearing their thoughts as they experience a first day at nursery school. For instance, this is the text at the bottom of a 2-page spread where kids are in the play area:

Oh no! I've spilt it! Watch out!
I like this crown. Can I be a nurse?

This device is a clever way of make readertotz feel part of the school scene as they read and may very well make them more comfy on their first day of nursery school!

Nursery (First Time series)
Illustrator: Jess Stockham
Child's Play

Poetry Friday: Ben Stiller on Sesame Street

Enjoy this song full of rhyme with your totz!

Catch the full roundup soon...

In the Pages Interview with Leslie Patricelli

Lovely interview with Leslie Patricelli at In the Pages! I learned more that I didn't know AND the Monkey Drummer is still in the works. I'm so excited! Woot!

Then check out the adorable Patterson Puppies with your older totz. :~)

~Lorie Ann

Wednesdays Win: Nursery

Happy Wednesday!
Drop a comment for a chance to win Nursery, illustrated by Jess Stockham (Child's Play). Stop in each week--we'll post a new contest every Wednesday. One lucky winner will win the 3 books posted on Wednesdays Win throughout November. We'll announce the winner for the month on November 25th. Don’t forget to check back to see if you've won.

Good luck!

(Due to mailing costs, USA only. Winners must contact us within two weeks after they are announced on readertotz as the winner. Not responsible if books are lost in transit by the USPS--we can't replace them. Thanks!)

~ Lorie Ann Grover and Joan Holub

Illustrator Love: Jon Klassen

My friend just pointed out Jon Klassen's work to me. Is this not GORGEOUS?

Absolutely inspiring. Check out his website here or his blog here.

He also did preliminary drawings for Coraline. Okay, can someone tell me WHY hasn't Jon been asked to do a picture book yet? Or board book for our totz? Seriously. I searched Amazon and found nothing.

Calling children's book art directors and editors. Sign, Jon!

Quentin Blake's Ten Frogs

As a parent of a tot, how can you not pick up Quentin Blake's Ten Frogs, A first book about numbers? I see the imagery and immediately the BFG is conjured up in my mind with such happiness. :~) Roald Dahl's characters and Quentin's own shift through my thoughts.



Quentin was the head of the illustration department at the Royal College of Art and the first to hold the title Children's Laureate in 1999.

Here is our chance to introduce totz to this iconographic imagery of children's literature. Pavilion Children's has gathered Quentin's images to help teach counting from one to ten. An extra spread of 100 wasps closes the board book which touts a cut out cover.

Smile with your totz over one crow, four cats, and ten frogs. Learn to count with a laureate!

Quentin Blake's Ten Frogs
by Quentin Blake
Pavilion Children's, 2009